The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cautioned candidates sitting for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) that assaults on examination officials or possession of prohibited items could lead to severe sanctions, including cancellation of results and bans from future examinations.

The nationwide examination is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 4, with more than 620,000 candidates expected to participate across the country.

WAEC warned that examination malpractice and misconduct would not be tolerated, stressing that candidates must comply fully with all examination regulations throughout the period.

The Council also cautioned candidates against bringing mobile phones, prepared notes, smartwatches, calculators or seeking outside assistance during the examinations.

It noted that any violation of the rules could attract strict disciplinary action.

“So for mobile phone infractions, you have your entire results cancelled. So any candidate who comes into the examination hall with a mobile phone would have their entire results cancelled,” WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, said during an interview on Channel One TV on Sunday, May 3.

Mr Kapi further advised candidates to arrive at their examination centres at least 30 minutes before the start of each paper, warning that latecomers would not be allowed into the examination hall once the official start bell had been rung.

This year’s BECE is expected to record 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools nationwide, made up of 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls.

The figure represents an increase of 16,813 candidates, or 2.7 per cent, compared to the number that sat the examination in 2025.